You Can Use My ToothbrushFebruary 4, 2017 – Chicago, IL

As a person nestles into a living space, they develop and perform rituals that allow them to feel settled and authentic in their being. Some habits invite the shedding of outer layers and inspire moments of joyful solitude or release, while others may provoke a regression into patterns that are embarrassing, secret, or subconscious. The privacy of these intimate spaces frees them to perform a variety of personal and specific behaviors. However, rituals shift as we invite others into our domestic spaces, and new patterns are formed. These rituals and the objects that support them, like a toothbrush shared between lovers, embody the risk we take in welcoming someone else in and the warmth we emit by adapting to another being. Despite initial awkward moments, it is the creation of new rituals that ultimately strengthens bonds and fosters relationships with both the space and those in it.